A healthy and spirited life through physical activity is
essential for the holistic development of children, nurturing their physical,
psychological and mental development while building valuable social connection.
An example is football/hockey and child development:
•Team
sports such as football have a positive influence on all facets of a child’s
growth.
•To better
prepare children to successfully cope with challenges and adversities of life.
•Encourage
children to take leadership roles within society.
•Help
children grow into well-rounded, confident individuals.
•A fun way
for children to learn values and lessons of life.
•Have
shown to improve the learning performance of children, encouraging school
attendance and a desire to succeed academically.
The engagement with any kind of sport is one of the best
ways to develop life skills in children.There are three basic life lessons which are endemic to participation in
sports: Participation, Contribution and Competition.
Why Sport and Play
UNICEF recognises the critical role of sport and physical
play in children’s lives. At the most fundamental level, sport and play are a
child’s right, as detailed in article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child: States shall “recognise the right of the child to rest and leisure, to
engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child
and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts."
Added to this is the broad consensus that regular physical
activity is essential for the physical, mental, psychological and social
development of children and adolescents. Involvement in sport can boost
children’s health, improve academic performance and help reduce crime.
Sport can be an effective programmatic tool to help achieve
goals in health, education, gender equality, HIV/AIDS, child protection and
child development. That is the concept of sport for development – that sport is
not just an end in itself, but also an effective tool to help improve the lives
of children, families and communities.
The Many Benefits of Sport
Sport, recreation and play are a fun way to learn values and
lessons that will last a life time. They promote friendship and fair play. They
teach team work, discipline, respect, and the coping skills necessary to ensure
that children develop into caring individuals. They help prepare young people
to meet the challenges they will face and to take leadership roles within their
communities.
Often sport festivals and games are platforms to educate
families about health issues, including the need for vaccination and HIV/AIDS
prevention. Sports has the power to reach children and adolescents who are
often excluded and discriminated against, including orphans, children with
disabilities, former child soldiers, refugee and displaced children, sexually
exploited children and children from indigenous communities.
Sport and recreation programmes are creating environments
that are safe and promote stable relationships between children and adults, and
among children themselves. They are providing children of all ages with
opportunities to express themselves, to contribute their voice, opinions and
ideas, and to become agents for change. They are helping to build communities
and are contributing to a more just and peaceful society.
(The writer is a sports psychologist, scouter and coach)
